The present invention relates to watercraft, and in particular to deck structure or cabin structure for a boat.
An extendable deck assembly for a boat is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,866. The extendable deck moves in a longitudinal direction to be deployed from the retracted to the extended position.
One advantage of employing an extendable deck for a boat is that when the deck is retracted, the perimeter of the boat is smaller than a perimeter defined by the extended position of the deck, and can therefore, be more easily maneuvered in a parking lot as well as on a lake. Once the boat is positioned on the lake, the extendable deck can be moved from a retracted to an extended position for an increased usable area on the boat.
The extendable deck disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,866 extends in sliding fashion in the longitudinal direction. Due to the relatively greater length than width of the boat, the longitudinal direction is the most stable orientation or axis to apply an eccentric load, i.e., a load that is offset from the center of gravity of the boat. However, one disadvantage of extending a deck in the longitudinal direction is the fact that boats typically have a relatively narrow width profile, and extending the deck longitudinally would be limited to this narrow width profile.
It is generally understood that loads offset from the center of gravity of a boat in the lateral direction cause a greater tipping instability of the boat. It would not therefore be expected that a laterally extending deck system could be made effective. The present invention provides an effective laterally extending deck or cabin structure for a watercraft.
The present invention provides an extendable horizontal, passenger-supporting structure for a watercraft that is selectively extended laterally from the watercraft. The structure can be a deck that is extendable from a main deck of the watercraft, or from a roof portion of a watercraft, or from a low deck level of the watercraft. The structure can be an open air deck or a room that is substantially enclosed from the outside environment, extendable from the body of the watercraft.
The extendable structure can be guided on support rails and deployed in sliding fashion by a rack and pinion arrangement driven by a small motor. Alternately, the structure can be extended by a linear motor, by a hand crank and associated gearing, by a hydraulic piston arrangement, or by any other known arrangement for imparting a sliding force to a structure.
The present invention can be employed to dramatically increase the usable floor space on, or cabin space within, a watercraft.
In one embodiment, a pair of extendable deck portions are mounted slidably on a main deck of the watercraft. The deck portions are deployed in opposite directions to increase the usable deck space on the watercraft. The deck portions are guided on rails. The overhanging weight of the oppositely deployed deck portions mutually counterbalance to minimize tipping moments on the watercraft.
In another embodiment, the structure comprises oppositely deployed, enclosed rooms or compartments which are extendable in the lateral direction from the body or the watercraft, between the main deck and the waterline. The oppositely deployed rooms provide mutually counterbalancing loads to minimize tipping moments on the watercraft. The rooms can increase the floor space below deck when deployed. The rooms can be retracted so that the overall size of the watercraft is decreased for moving the watercraft on land or through the water.
According to another aspect of the invention, one or more rooms or compartments can be slidingly deployed from a watercraft body to increase the cabin area of the watercraft. Each room can be located vertically between a top of the body and the waterline, and can include a floor, sidewalls and a roof configured to be weather and water protected.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims and from the accompanying drawings.